The invention relates to a continuous casting mold comprising an oscillating supporting structure including side walls defining a mold cavity and supported on a lifting table oscillating by means of an oscillation drive and guided in the oscillation direction by a guiding means.
For casting strands having a slab cross sectional formats it is known to support plate-shaped mold side walls defining a mold cavity and each reinforced by a supporting structure on a water box surrounding the side walls in a frame-like manner by means of these supporting structures and to mount the water box on a likewise frame-shaped lifting table (AT-B - 343.838, AT-B - 335.242 and AT-B - 359.673). In doing so, both the water box and the lifting table are designed as supporting frames, the lifting table being set in vertical oscillations by an oscillation drive during casting, and hence also the mold side walls via the water box.
This known construction involves the disadvantage that a relatively large mass must be set in oscillation movements. Moreover, both the flame-like water box and the frame-shaped lifting table require much space, offer poor accessibility to strand guide structures arranged below the continuous casting mold and render feasible the provision of auxiliary devices, such as electromagnetic starers, etc. only with difficulty.
From EP-B - 0 233 796 and from BP-A - 0 417 504 it is known to do without a water box with a continuous casting mold and to support the mold side walls with their supporting structures directly on a flame-shaped lifting table.
A continuous casting mold without water box does have slightly more stable side walls than a comparable mold incorporating a water box, yet its advantages predominate, which are to be seen in that its structure is more compact and simple because of the presence of fewer structural parts, that the overall structural weight and hence its production costs are substantially lower, that the accessibility for maintenance and adjustment works is enhanced and that a mold replacement is more simple and quick to carry out.
With the continuous casting plate mold without water box known from EP-B - 0 233 796, the side walls that are designed as broad side walls, with their supporting structures, are directly mounted on a frame-shaped lifting table capable of being set in vertical lifting and lowering movements by means of an oscillation drive. The narrow side walls inserted between the broad side walls each are supported on the lifting table via a special device that serves to adjust the position of the narrow side walls. Such devices are pivotably fastened to the lifting table in a manner that they can be brought into a position outside of the frame-shaped lifting table as seen from above, for the purpose of clearing the opening of the lifting table.
This construction involves the disadvantage that a heavy and sturdy frame-shaped lifting table is required and that the side walls of the plate mold cannot readily be removed from the lifting table as a unit and replaced with a new unit. For, with this known solution each of the broad side walls and each of the narrow side walls must be lifted off the lifting table separately. This is cumbersome and requires relatively much time.
With the continuous casting mold without water box known from EP-A - 0 417 504, a device for adjusting the narrow side walls again is arranged on the lifting table, i.e., is rigidly fastened thereto. The broad side walls are supported on this device and, thus, are mounted on the lifting table with this device being interposed. The two broad side walls are adjustable relative to the narrow side walls in a manner that this construction does not offer any possibility to configure one of the broad side walls as a fixed side. Even with this construction, the lifting table must be designed to be particularly rigid and, consequently, sturdy and expensive.